Will allow sports fans and family members from around the world to deliver
messages of support to athletes during the Games
Tokyo, 25 June 2021 – The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020) is pleased to announce the launch of the new Tokyo 2020 Share the Passion project. This initiative will allow athletes’ family members as well as spectators from all over the world to deliver text and video messages to athletes using the latest technology and social media platforms, with a selection of messages to be displayed on the big screen at certain venues. With the launch of this project, undertaken with the support of a number of stakeholders including marketing partners and Olympic Broadcasting Services, the Tokyo 2020 Games will become the first major international sports event to implement a ground-breaking digital remote fan engagement solution.
Support from spectators and family members are key to helping athletes perform at their best—and cheering on Olympic and Paralympic athletes is an unforgettable experience for spectators. Although this year's Tokyo 2020 Games will be different to previous Games, the new Tokyo 2020 Share the Passion initiative will enable Olympic and Paralympic fans around the world to join the Games remotely and express their support for the athletes.
Tokyo 2020 President HASHIMOTO Seiko commented, “When we announced in March that overseas spectators would unfortunately not to be able to come to Japan for the Games, we also said that we would think of ways to help people around the world share their support for the athletes. Although the spectator seats may not be full, the many videos and messages shared through the Tokyo 2020 Share the Passion project and displayed on the big screen will fill the venues with support from around the world, and I am sure that it will further motivate the athletes as they compete.
“In a world in which many people have been separated from each other by the COVID-19 pandemic, I believe that the Tokyo 2020 Games will help us renew our bonds with each other. We are all stronger together, and sport has the power to help bring the world together again. I hope that through these initiatives, we can share the special moments of the Games with as many as possible in a real spirit of solidarity. I am looking forward to many people around the world taking this opportunity to be a part of the Games and deliver their messages of support to the athletes.”
Alibaba Cloud Japan Country Manager UNIQUE Song also commented, “As a worldwide partner of the IOC, we aim to leverage our proven cloud technology to support a digitally transformed Games. As part of our mission, we also want to support the athletes through the Games despite the challenges caused by the pandemic”. “For Tokyo 2020, we are proud to be launching a pilot project that will facilitate remote fan engagement directly with the athletes within the venues, as well as with other fans worldwide. Working with Tokyo 2020 and our broadcast partners, OBS has developed a suite of digital tools that will not only allow friends and family to engage with athletes within the venue, but also encourage fans all over the world to be actively involved in supporting their national heroes,” stated Yiannis E xarchos, CEO of OBS.
Project Summary
Project name: “TOKYO 2020 Share the Passion – Bringing Your Cheers From All Over the World to Tokyo”
Organiser: The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games
Programmes: (1) Three types of supportive messages from fans around the world can be submitted via various social media channels:
- videos with movements matching the rhythm of the 20 20beat
- videos featuring original cheers or support message s
- text messages of support
Details of these are provided below. A selection of the videos and messages will be shown on screens at some of the Tokyo 2020 competition venues.
(2) Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) online ‘Cheer Map’ and ‘Fan Video Wall’. Fans worldwide will be able to cheer on their country’s athletes remotely by uploading selfie videos, a selection of which will be shown on video screens at certain venues.
The Japanese broadcaster NHK will also show a selection of videos in conjunction with their own project “Let’s Cheer for the World!” on video screens at selected venues. Details are available at https://sports.nhk.or.jp/dream/cheer/
NHK media contact: +81-(0)3-5455-2458
How to participate in programme (1):
Fans can choose from one of the three participation options below and post their messages of support on social media:
a) They can send their messages by video featuring mov ements to the rhythm of the 2020beat and post it on social media with the hashtag "#2020beat"
b) They can create an original video of themselves che ering, and post this on social media with the hashtag "#DearAthletes"
c) They can send their supportive messages by text, po sting this on social media with the hashtag "#DearAthletes"
Participants must confirm their approval of secondary use of their submitted material via the following special website: https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/en/games/event-stp/
Details of each programme
(1) Three types of fan messages from around the world s ubmitted via various social media channels
- Video featuring movements to the rhythm of the 2020 beat (part of Tokyo 2020 “Make The Beat!” project)
The official Tokyo 2020beat was created from a range of 1,000 different sound samples reflecting the themes of sports, Japanese culture, daily life and nature; five different rhythms were compiled from using Olympic Worldwide Partner Intel Corporation’s AI technology. Since September 2019, many artists and celebrities have participated in this project, and since January 2020, as part of the #2020beat social media campaign, fans have been invited to film themselves performing to the rhythm and post their content on social media (TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter) using the special hashtag #2020beat. The campaign was temporarily suspended, but beginning today, it is relaunching as part of the new ‘Tokyo 2020 Share the Passion’ project, allowing all fans to remotely deliver their 2020beat messages to athletes.
Organiser | The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games |
Supported by | Alibaba Cloud, Intel Corporation |
Application period | Friday 25 June – Sunday 5 September |
Application conditions | Those who have a social media account (TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter). No limitation on the number of individual applications. |
How to apply | After agreeing to secondary use via the special website, entrants should shoot a video to the rhythm of the 2020beat, and post it on social media with the hashtag "#2020beat". The 2020beat can be played in any way, e.g. with clapping or instruments. |
How submitted videos and text will be used | Submitted videos will be automatically screened using Alibaba Cloud technology, with a selection of them being displayed on video screens at some competition venues during the Games. The Alibaba Cloud system will identify videos with potentially offensive content; those found to be violating the terms of use will be discarded. |
How to download the original sound of the“2020beat” |
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Tokyo 2020 “Make The Beat!” Award
Application period: Friday 25 June – Sunday 4 July
Content: Comedians in Japan from the Yoshimoto Kogyo agency will post a video on their Instagram profile to the tune of the "2020beat". The winner will then be asked to play an active role in supporting the athletes during the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Award: The winner will be announced on 15 July. Details will be published on the Tokyo 2020 website.
- Messages of support via video and/or text message
This programme aims to collect original videos and text messages of support from Olympic and Paralympic fans all over the world via social media platforms using the hashtag #DearAthletes. A selection of these will be shown on screens at certain competition venues.
Organiser | The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games |
Supported by | Alibaba Cloud |
Application period | Friday 25 June – Sunday 5 September |
Application conditions | Those with social media accounts (TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter). No limit on the number of applications per person. |
How to apply | After agreeing to secondary use via the special website, entrants should shoot a video of themselves cheering, or compose an equivalent text message, and post this on social media with the hashtag "#DearAthletes". |
Use of submitted videos | A selection of the submitted videos and text messages will be displayed on video screens at certain competition venues during the Games. The Alibaba Cloud system will identify videos with potentially offensive content; those found to be violating the terms of use will be discarded. |
How videos will be submitted and appear on video screens at competition venues during the Games
(2) Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) Fan Engagement
Organiser: Olympic Broadcasting Services
Supported by: The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games
Period: Wednesday 21 July – Sunday 8 August
‘Cheer Map and ‘Fan Video Wall’
OBS will provide an online ‘Cheer Map’ and ‘Fan Video Wall’ bringing audience participation direct to the venues. Fans worldwide will be able to cheer on their country via web or mobile, and upload selfie videos which could appear on the video screens at selected venues. Audiences can access the Cheer Map and Fan Video Wall via participating Rights Holding Broadcasters (RHBs), as well as at the Olympics.com Tokyo 2020 website.
‘Athlete Moment’
Family and friends are an athlete’s support system not only during their hardest training days, but also on the field of play. For this reason, OBS has created an ‘Athlete Moment’ station at selected venues, allowing athletes to connect live with friends and family right after the competition ends.
Please contact to the OBS Information at Mediarequests@obs.tv for more details.
